A great example of strength and sense of community was shown on the streets of Cleveland on Thursday afternoon. About 10 months ago, Erin Hurst was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Alvaro Rhabdomyosarcoma. Hurst was a track and field athlete at Dixie State when the life that she knew came to an abrupt halt.
Over the past months, Hurst has undergone a large number of chemotherapy treatments. She has used that same fight and drive that helped her succeed on the track to work through this current obstacle. Thursday, April 30, marked the 22-year-old’s 40th week of chemo treatments. Family, friends and neighbors donned their “No One Fights Alone” t-shirts and lined the streets to show their love and support to Erin and the Hurst family. A police escort ushered Hurst’s vehicle through the town, as many waved, shouted and cheered.
Hurst has had her sights set on this milestone and published the following post on Facebook last week. “The count down is on. One more small chemo tomorrow then the final big one next week. I’ll still have some maintenance chemo, but the major part of chemo will be over. 🙏🏼 The newest challenge I have found is doing therapy on my arm and hand. I never realized how frustrating it can be when your arm and hand don’t function properly. With time, hopefully it will get better. I hope I can use this in my future career as a PTA. This has been such a challenging experience, but I’m grateful for all I’ve learned. Thank you so much for the continued support and prayers. I will never be able to repay everyone for everything that has been done for me. I hope to continue to share my experience and give back to my community for the rest of my life.”
Congratulations Erin and may your recovery continue!
Photos Courtesy Dillon Smith, Dusty and Beth Butler
